Photofacials

What are the benefits of a photofacial?

Photofacials work to help rejuvenate sun damaged skin, wrinkles and enlarged oil glands.  These facials also help to treat moderate to severe acne, rosacea and mild acne scarring. Photofacials work by using a medication called levulan. Levulan is a substance that occurs naturally in the body in small amounts. After it is applied and absorbed into the skin it is converted into a potent photosensitizer.  The Blu-U light is a special light that activates levulan and helps destroy acne causing bacteria, fine lines and sun damaged skin.

What happens during a photofacial?

For the Photofacial, the skin is cleansed with acetone, and the Levulan is applied for 45 minutes, then the face is exposed to the Blu-U light for 10 minutes. There maybe slight burning and or stinging during the treatment. After this procedure, there could be some temporary redness and swelling. We ask that you stop all acne medications 1 week prior to your photofacial.

What to expect?

You must remain out of the sun for 1 week prior to and after your treatment.  You may experience peeling, redness, and the feeling of being sunburned.  This generally lasts 2 to 3 days. After that, there is a noticeable improvement in fine lines, skin discoloration, redness, pore size, and oil gland enlargement. For facial rejuvenation, patients generally see improvement with 3 treatments.

Most acne patients improve significantly with 4-6 treatments. It is common for acne patients to get worse after there initial photofacial, however after several treatments patients will notice a marked improvement in their acne.

What is the cost of treatment?

Patients will get the most benefit from a photofacial if they are done in a series of three treatments done a month apart. Please call for price and more details.